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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24083377">Maisie's Nightmare</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSingingSword/pseuds/TheSingingSword'>TheSingingSword</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Jurassic Park - All Media Types, Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Jurassic World Fusion, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady Adopt Maisie Lockwood, Dino - Freeform, Dinosaurs, Gen, Jurassic, Jurassic Park - Freeform, Jurassic World, Multi, Prehistoric, Tyrannosaurus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:34:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24083377</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSingingSword/pseuds/TheSingingSword</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The world has fallen into ruin and now the last pockets of humanity struggle to survive in a world that has been reclaimed by the dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts. After being attacked by a Tarbosaurus, Maisie Lockwood finds herself taken captive by scavengers and must find a way to escape and get back home. But to do so, she must traverse through the jungles, home to vicious creatures even her savage captors fear.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In the Woods Somewhere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Had I thought our race was great? Had I thought we were the masters of Earth? What damn fools we are! Soon it would be time. We would see the universe for what it was and what it held, and we would try to hide under mountains to escape. Those bloviating, pontificating scientists secure in their atheism; those theists so sure in their gods. All would see the truth and none would be able to stand it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>-John Balfour, fellow Lovecraftian fan from YouTube</em>
</p><hr/><p>The dawn, cool and crisp, echoed with the haunting, yet beautiful cries of a herd of dinosaurs with long and colorful crests on the back of their heads. They were so loud they drowned out the morning chorus of the birds gleefully skipping from tree to tree as they eagerly awaited their turn to use the clearing in the middle of the forest so they could search for seeds and worms in peace without having to worry about the massive foot to move away from.</p><p>Maisie Lockwood hid behind some ferns, smiling as she watched the herd feasting on conifers and other plant life. She pressed down the end cap of her pen and started documenting the animals, writing down their coloration and behavior.</p><p>She suddenly felt the ground quaking and held her breath. The alpha male stomped towards the pond to have a drink. Maisie lowered her head and sat absolutely still. The animal was huge and his skin color was darker and more vivid than the others. He was covered in scars, which he wore proudly; for they were trophies of his past victories against other males and even predators who thought they could make a meal out of him. She was so close she could smell him. He smelled sweet and pungent, like a bowl of rotting fruit almost.</p><p>Maisie laughed silently. Being so close to such a thing was just the most exhilarating thing ever. The dinosaur took a few big gulps, then reared his head up and let out a loud honk that echoed across the city ruins. Maisie cringed, feeling her ears getting assaulted by the creature's call. The male was rallying the herd. It was time to move.</p><p>The other dinosaurs honked sadly. They had a few last morsels to eat before following their leader down the street. The black asphalt was cracked and was completely covered with wild grass so tall, it covered the dinosaurs up to their ankles, which were high up in their own right. Maisie took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the animals as they slumped after the leader. Scampering around in the center of their formation were the little ones. The let out little honks and bellows as they chased each other's tails and jumped around. An impatient mother honked at them, telling them to keep up with the herd. The little ones, naturally, were not listening.</p><p>Maisie then heard something knocking the tree behind her three times. She turned and saw her olive-skinned companion, Brandi, standing by a tree not far from Maisie's hiding spot. Another head peered from the other side of the tree. Maisie saw the two long, braided pigtails of Tina, who had a wide grin on her face. She waved, waiting patiently for the dinosaurs to leave. When they were gone, Maisie packed her journal into her backpack and stood up to greet them.</p><p>"Did you see that?" she said in a soft tone, so as not to spook the herd, for they were still pretty close by. "There were so many of them."</p><p>"Yes, I sure did," Brandi said. "I heard them, too. What in the world where those, Maisie?"</p><p>"They were Para-para-parasauro-something, right?" Tina said. She slid her hand up and down in the air over her head. "The crest."</p><p>"Parasaurolophus," Maisie corrected her. "And no. These are a new species. Olorotitan. I didn't see them in the manor, meaning they're Biosyn's work or something."</p><p>Tina took out a pamphlet from the pocket of her baggy cargo pants. It was a map of Biosyn's Prehistoric Kingdom, their version of Jurassic World. "They're not in any of the exhibits."</p><p>"Because they were never released to the public," Maisie said, looking back at the herd. They were gone now. "They must have kept them in a hidden ranch or facility or something."</p><p>Brandi placed a hand on her cheek. "Wow. That makes like...what? Ten new species this month. Where did they keep them all?"</p><p>"Who knows," Tina said, placing her hands on her hips. "Man, it kind of makes you wonder what else they had out there, huh?"</p><p>Maisie agreed. She nodded and looked at the mountains that once overlooked the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California. The soothing call of brachiosaurs could be heard from miles away, as well as a few shrieks from pteranodons, who reclaimed the skies not long after the Saurian Flu outbreak, contained the human population.</p><p>"Hey, Tina," Brandi said, lightly nudging her friend in the ribs. "Don't you have the big surprise for Maisie?"</p><p>Tina gasped gleefully and jumped. "Why, yes, I do." She took off her backpack, then looked over her shoulder. "Maisie, no peeking. Turn around. We'll let you know when you can see."</p><p>Maisie sighed heavily and turned. She heard a lot of shuffling and giggling behind her. Finally, her friends told her to turn around. Brandi held a cupcake in her palms with a blue candle burning at the center.</p><p>
  <em>Happy birthday to you!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Happy birthday to you!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Happy birthday, dear Maisie!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Happy birthday to you!</em>
</p><p>"Come on, girl, blow it out before the wind does!" Tina urged her.</p><p>"Ah-ah, she has to make a wish first!" said Brandi.</p><p>Maisie smiled and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts.<em> I wish for your return, Owen. Come back to us, please. I miss you</em>. Finally, Maisie blew out the candle. The next thing she knew, Brandi smashed the cupcake over her mouth.</p><p>"Ack!" Maise laughed, backing away. "Oh, my God! You bitch!"</p><p>"So, how old are we today?" Tina asked.</p><p>Maisie licked the frosting off her lips. "I'm nineteen."</p><p>"Oooo," Brandi hooted with glee. "Drinks are on me tonight. Can't wait to see little Maisie here get totally wasted like she did last year."</p><p>"That's not happening again," Maisie said. She was still trying to clean the frosting from her face. "Claire grounded me for a week because of what we did in there."</p><p>"Yeah, well, I learned my lesson," Tina said, handing Maisie a red-spotted handkerchief from her back pocket. "I'm not going to record you dancing on the bar top again. I had no idea things could still go viral in this day and age."</p><p>"Well, now you know," Maisie said, finally cleaning the frosting from her mouth.</p><p>A strange bellowing sound came from the edge of the forest near the clearing where the Olorotitan herd was grazing. Brandi told them to kneel. "Look!" she said.</p><p>Maisie turned around. What she saw coming out of the jungle amazed her. They were deer, but much, much taller, and their antlers were massive. These were no ordinary deer. At once, Maisie dropped her backpack and searched for her notepad. She heard tales of megafauna from the ice age being brought back but for the longest time, she just thought of them as rumors. Well, she couldn't be more proud to be proven wrong. These creatures were an extinct species of deer called Megaloceros. There were dozens of them proudly marching out of the dense vegetation like they were kings. Well, why wouldn't they be? They looked so regal.</p><p>"Nobody back in the settlement is going to believe this," Tina whispered, whipping out her camera and snapping pictures of the animals. "This is unreal."</p><p>"So they really did clone ice age animals, too," Brandi replied softly. "You are so right, Tina."</p><p>"About what?"</p><p>"Who knows what else they had out there. Biosyn. The Todd-Robuck Foundation. Apollo. They got the knowledge and started to play God."</p><p>"And look at the consequences," said Maisie, making quick notes on her journal. She licked some blue sugar frosting the still clung to the corner of her mouth. "What they did was wrong."</p><p>"But isn't that what they did to you?" Tina asked. "Wasn't the technology and knowhow to bring dinosaurs back to life the reason why you're here?"</p><p>Maisie paused. Brandi punched Tina in the arm and shook her head. She should have known by now that Maisie didn't like to talk about her 'birth'. Unlike Tina and Brandi, she wasn't born into this world naturally. She was manufactured, just like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Much like them, she was a clone.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."</p><p>A loud roar thundered across the jungle. Birds stopped singing and flew away. Dinosaurs all over the jungle started hollering in fear.</p><p>"What was that?" Tina cried.</p><p>Maisie wiped her mouth and held her rifle close. "We need to get out of here. Do you remember where you parked the jeep, Brandi?"</p><p>"Yeah. It's pretty far, but I think we can make it. Come on."</p><p>They dashed into the jungle, sticking close to the trees so as to lose the predator in case it found them. Tina was shouting: "Shit! Shit! Shit!" repeatedly. They heard loud stomping all over the jungle as if a hundred angry beasts were swarming in from all directions. Trees groaned as massive bodies pushed them aside and their branches snapped. There was another roar, this time from the east. But where? First, there was something them from behind. Now there was something coming towards them from the right. They were so confused and frightened.</p><p>Brandi suddenly lost track of where she was going. Her terror was extreme. It fogged her memory. She couldn't remember the way back to the jeep. All she cared about was getting away from whatever was making those noises and getting the hell out of here. Maisie then remembered her buds were still stuck to her ears still playing music.</p><p>In a cruel twist of irony, the song: In the Woods Somewhere by Hozier was playing. The singer's eerie vocalization haunted her, filling her with even more dread.</p><p>Clouds blotted out the sun, and the world looked like it was being covered in a filter of icy blue. The stomping was closer. Suddenly something ran out from the left. A giant predator! It snatched Tina in its jaws. The girl screamed as dagger-sharp teeth penetrating into her flesh and the incredible bite force snapped her bones like twigs. Maisie froze dead in her tracks, watching the giant dinosaur carry her friend into the jungle. She could still hear her crying for help. "Maisie! Maisie! Maisie!" The dinosaur bit down on her torso. Tina's cries turned into sick gurgling sounds. She was gone and the dinosaur reared up its head, tossing her like a ragdoll and snatching her back in its jaws so it could chomp down on her body and swallow her.</p><p>It looked like a tyrannosaurus but it was colored bright green and black along the spine and it had a row of black spikes going down its back. A Tarbosaurus! The dinosaur looked at Maisie and Brandi. Its burning red eyes glared at them, revealing a ravenous hunger. Tina's blood colored the creature's snout red and bits of her clothing dangled from its teeth. It roared and chased after them.</p><p>Maisie stayed put and fired her LaRue OBR at the beast. The bullets did little against its tough hide. Instead, they stung like tiny spider bites, making it even angrier and more determined to take it down.</p><p>Brandi grabbed Maisie by the arm and dragged her to where the trees were thick. The Tarbosaurus could not reach them. It smashed its head against the trunks and roared, furious that he let two morsels get away from him so easily. He looked for another way to chase after them. Brandi then led Maisie into a shopping center that was covered in vegetation. The buildings were falling apart, but they could provide enough shelter to keep them safe until the animal was gone.</p><p>They stayed low until the Tarbosaurus' roar was nothing more than echos in the distance. They were finally safe.</p><p>"She's gone," Maisie whispered. "I can't believe she's gone." Tears streamed down her cheeks.</p><p>"Hey, hey." Brandi started patting the girl on the shoulder to calm her. "Stay with me now. I need you to keep a level head right now. When we get back to the fort, we'll have a drink in her memory, okay?"</p><p>"Where is the fort?" Maisie asked. "Where the hell are we?"</p><p>"I don't know," Brandi stood up. "But I think we can —"</p><p>Fwoop! A bullet streaked from the window, striking Brandi in the forehead. A red mist sprayed out the back of her head. She fell to her knees then slumped forward with a sick thud. Maisie stopped breathing. She looked at Brandi's body as it twitched wildly. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and blood pooled all over the floor.</p><p>Maisie heard yipping and triumphant hollering coming from across the lot. The next thing she knew, canisters were flung into the store and they released a strange, green gas. Maisie felt the world spinning and she fell into a whirlpool of black eternity.</p><p>Her slumber did not last long. She felt herself coming through. How long had it been? She heard voices all around her. Her stomach churned awfully; she wanted to vomit, but even though she was dazed, she knew she was in a lot of trouble. She held it down as best she could, but she didn't know how long she could hold out. She saw light through her eyelids. Maisie opened them just a crack and saw that she was lying face-down on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Two men were looming over her, searching her pockets for loot.</p><p>"Look at this," said one of the men. He was young and skinny and smelled of sweat and swamp water. Maisie did her best not to gag. The young man was holding up her pistol and examining it. "Damn. It's a Glock. It's my first time actually holding one these.. I've only seen them in the movies."</p><p>His companion laughed.</p><p>Maisie saw her OBR was hanging off the man's shoulder from the sling. She noticed he was also examining the heavily personalized M4 she kept in the scabbard that was attached to the side of her backpack. She prayed they didn't find the weapon Owen gave her. They could take whatever they wanted from her, but not that gift. It was all she had of him. Unfortunately, she had no luck. The skinny man dug deep into Maisie's backpack, tossing her extra clothes, kits, and food all over the ground. He let out a gasp of air and pulled it out.</p><p>A Smith and Wesson 500. He held it up and screeched victoriously. "Man, this chick has some nice hardware." He dug through her backpack looking to find ammo for the magnum.</p><p>A disgruntled scavenger stomped towards him. "Hey, we helped, too! We deserve some loot!"</p><p>"You guys ain't getting shit!" said the skinny man. "We're the ones who hunted her. Her stuff is ours. Back the fuck off!"</p><p>"Wanna say that to me again you piece of sh—"</p><p>A thunderous roar shook the jungle. The scavengers stopped arguing.</p><p>"All right," said the skinny man's partner. "We need to get the hell out of here. The Tarbo's still in the area. Hang these girls on that tree. Their meat will slow him down and keep him off our tracks long enough to get away from here."</p><p>The dinosaur roared again and the man started clapping. "Come on, people! Come one! Move it! Like it already happened. If your ass isn't in the truck by the time he gets here, we're leaving you behind. Move it —" He paused. "Hold on a second…" He leaned over Maisie and smiled. "Well, well, well. Lookie here. This one's still awake. Good morning, sweetheart."</p><p>A bald scavenger spat. "What? No, that can't be. My stuff's deadly. It should have killed her.</p><p>"Maybe your chemicals aren't as potent as you think they are, Gizmo!"</p><p>"Should we hang her with the other chick?" the skinny man asked.</p><p>"No, I think Mama's gonna wanna have some fun with her. Put her in the truck. We're taking her back with us. I don't want any surprises when we get back to the camp, son. Check her for any other goodies. Make sure it's a... thorough, search."</p><p>The skinny man grinned. He jumped on the truck and dragged Maisie to the back by her feet.</p><p>"You're gonna wish you were never born, girly!" he jeered.</p><p>Even from where she was, Maisie could see the other scavengers tossing a cable over the branch of a tree. They pulled and hoisted Brandi's body up by her ankles. She had been completely stripped of her gear. Her clothes were torn and bloody. The scavengers cut her up with screwdrivers and box cutters so that her blood could perfume the air and lure the Tarbosaurus towards her corpse.</p><p>The last thing Maisie saw before blacking out again was the skinny man laughing at her. He lifted his boot and stomped her in the face, returning her to the darkness once again.</p><hr/><p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Maisie's Journal</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Tarbosaurus</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>(Dinosaur World.com)</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Tarbosaurus Bataar. A beast from the Late Cretaceous that was likely manufactured by those goons in the Todd-Robuck Foundation. Tarbosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur that's closely related to Tyrannosaurus Rex. No need to tell me twice. Just by looking at it, I can tell it and the King of Dinosaurs are close relatives. Though it's not as big, I sure don't want to be in the area when it's around. Thanks to the High Hide that Old Man McCoy built, I got close enough to measure it as it preyed upon a young Bajadasaurus. It was over forty feet long and I'm guessing its weight to be about five to six tons give or take. I told Claire about it immediately and she put out a notice, telling all the scouts to keep on high alert until it left the area (Which is highly unlikely considering the high abundance of food around here) or is ultimately eliminated by the Hunter's Guild. Although, none of the scouts have the gear to take on such a beast. I've got to remember to tell Brandi and Tina to bring some extra grenades next time we go out hunting for food. I don't think this animal is leaving anytime soon.  </strong> </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Megaloceros</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>                                                             </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>(The Ark: Survival)</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Megaloceros Giganteus. Yeah, a name that's well deserved. I've only just seen them this morning. I just knew it. I just knew that those people were bringing back animals from the Ice Age. It's disturbing to think just how many species they have brought back in the Dinosaur Boom, but this one is a welcome sight. It's very graceful-looking and has its head up high with pride. With antlers like those, I would be, too. Though their numbers seem a little high I'm worried about poachers though. Those antlers (Which look about 12 feet long) will make any hunter wet his pants with excitement. This is one species I hope doesn't go back into extinction, so I will do my absolute best to take care of them. I will ask Claire if she can offer a reward to the scouts to keep them safe.</strong> </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Olorotitan</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>(Dinosaur WIki)</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>The name of these colorful dinosaurs means 'Giant Swan'. Olorotitan. They sure are gorgeous to look at. I heard their calls two days ago. I just knew they couldn't have been the Edmontosaur herd. Their calls were much richer and a lot more beautiful.  They're even more pleasing to look at. They have such vivid coloration, most likely a result of the corporations that manufactured them. I read some snippets of an old manifest Claire found from the genetics company known as Carpatheon, who was an up in comer during the boom. Turns out that colorful rapper with the fancy teeth ordered about five of them to keep in the gardens of his estate in Thailand. It's honestly disturbing how people treated these beautiful creatures. Well, they're gone now, and the Giant Swans can live in peace in the world they have retaken from us.</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Lore: The Saurian Flu</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>A deadly disease that was the cause of the outbreak known as The Jurassic Plague. It was manufactured by Dr. Warren Phillips, a genocidal virologist and leader of the Dinosaur Protection Army (Formerly known as the Dinosaur Protection Group) after the Great Dinosaur Boom of 2022. It was built to have no vaccine or cure, and he chose the genetically engineered dinosaurs and ice age megafauna to be the chosen host of the virus.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>To these animals, the Saurian Flu was relatively harmless; nothing more than the common cold for them that required a lot of water and rest to cure. But, it was deadly towards humans, causing rapid decay of the skin and turning the organs to mush. Phillips created this abomination not long after he turned the Dinosaur Protection Group - a once peaceful society - into a violent and radical eco-terrorist organization, whose purpose was the completion of two goals. The control of the world's population and to help the genetically engineered dinosaurs reclaim the earth from their human masters.</em>
</p><p><em>Needless to say, Phillips and a great deal many others were sickened to see the horrid cruelty inflicted on the dinosaurs. </em> <em>Phillips learned of the terrible atrocities committed during the Lockwood Manor Incident, in which dinosaurs, taken from Isla Nublar, were being sold to buyers in the black market and cruelly shipped to their destinations in cramped containers. The events that took place there disturbed him, and his sympathy for the dinosaurs grew over time until he formed a stark hatred for mankind. Even though these amazing animals were brought back for some good, they were mostly created to suit the needs of the depraved, the corrupt, and the greedy.</em></p><p>
  <em>At best – and that's saying a lot – some were brought back to be used as house mascots for the rich and famous. It made his stomach churn when he read about spoiled rich kids in Dubai, who would have their parents pay millions and millions of dollars to have their own Tyrannosaurus Rex built just for them to be kept as exotic pets. Eccentric millionaires soon kept smilodons or dinofelis in favor of lions or tigers. Some even had giant lakes built into their backyards to house prehistoric super crocs like dienosuchus, sarchosuchus, or even the massive serpent known as titanoboa.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Other times, they were just brought back to be cruelly hunted for sport. Hunting dinosaurs soon turned into a new thrill. Hunting resorts were built all over the world and there was a high demand for horned dinosaurs and megafauna with big tusks. People would post videos of themselves going on safaris to shoot down a triceratops or a mastodon. Though people thought this was awfully cruel, those partaking in these events had one excuse. "Meh, we can always just make more."</em>
</p><p><em>And then there were animals who were submitted to the very worst of mankind. These poor creatures were pit against one another in barbaric underground battle arenas, where they would fight to the death. </em> <em>Sometimes the animals were genetically altered with more horns, spikes, or clubs, to give their owners an edge against the competition, leading to a mass rising of monstrous hybrids. This led to the birth of genetically engineered super dinosaurs called Tyrants, who were to be used as tools of war.</em></p><p>
  <em>Phillips and his thousands of followers soon had enough of the barbarism. And the Saurian Flu was the perfect way to punish humankind for their sins.</em>
</p><p><em>The outbreak began during the unveiling of Mesozoic Kingdom, a zoo in New York housing a vast collection of prehistoric animals brought back to life by a company called DylanCorp, one of many who had joined the bandwagon of bringing back extinct creatures. Unknown to those participating in the event, all of the animals were contaminated with the Saurian Flu thanks to Dr. Phillips and a special unit from the DPA, which infiltrated the park. The Gentle Giants petting zoo was the prime place for the virus to spread. And when it did, New York was under quarantine within a matter of hours</em> <em>.</em></p><p><em>After seeing the success of the virus, DPA operatives unleashed it without remorse, infecting cities across the United States in a nationwide eco-terrorist attack. In weeks, the</em> <em> Saurian Flu then spread from the US and infected countries all over the world and was soon classed as a global pandemic unseen since the Black Plague. Hundreds of millions of people lost their lives within months, and thousands more would soon perish over the years to come as the great beasts of the past slowly began to retake the world.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Pit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Claire</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>When the last of the vehicles rolled in, Claire pursed her lips as worry consumed her. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at the ground sighing. There she remained under the orange glow of the streetlamp until the road was consumed by darkness and all the animals of the night began to howl and screech. Lightning flashed in the sky, silhouetting the mountains. She hadn't moved for almost two hours. So deep was her determination to wait for Maisie that her patience became as strong as a stone wall.</p><p>A scout named Thompson walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Claire looked back at him and shrugged it off. "I'm fine," she said. "Go home."</p><p>"Ma'am, we have to close the gate."</p><p>"Not until she gets back," Claire said at once, eyes still glued to the road. The wind picked up, brushing her long ponytail to and fro over her back.</p><p>"It's past the curfew, Claire. We have to close the gate now. Every second that stays open you're putting yourself and the people in danger. There's a dinosaur out there, a big-ass meat-eater. He's one of a hundred things I want to keep from coming in here."</p><p>Claire didn't budge. Lightning streaked in the distance, illuminating the clouds overhead. A low rumble of thunder could be heard.</p><p>"Come on. We looked everywhere. But all we could find was their jeep. And the parts of little Brandi some predator didn't like."</p><p>"But no sign of Tina or Maisie, right? She's out there, and I'm not closing this gate until she comes home."</p><p>"Come on, Claire. Don't be so stubborn. Look, I promise I'll assemble my best guys tomorrow and we'll dedicate the whole day looking for her."</p><p>A soldier in digital army camo gear sitting in the guardhouse scoffed. "Pfft, she's not going to last until tomorrow. The way I see it, she's dead. Not even a fully geared-up Navy SEAL can survive out there, let alone some little girl."</p><p>Claire glared at the soldier. "Bradley, when I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."</p><p>The young soldier grinned mockingly at her and patted the stock of his rifle before standing up. "Pardon me. She's not a little girl. She's a fucking brat."</p><p>That caused Claire to snap. She darted for the young man and slammed her palm against his plate carrier. "You looking for a fight, asshole?"</p><p>"Well, I found you didn't I?" Bradley scoffed. He spat at the ground near Claire's boots. "Come on, Thompson. Why the hell are we putting the community at risk like this for? You think because you're Jurassic World alumni that you have authority over us or something? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, lady, but this ain't your fucking theme park anymore. Let's not forget it was that little bitch that did this to us in the first place."</p><p>Claire punched him hard on the face, knocking his ballistic sunglasses off his face. Bradley reeled to the right, almost losing his footing from the blow. He spat out blood and turned his head, looking up until he glared at Claire, his face creasing with anger. He was about to grip his rifle but Thompson aimed his magnum at him, telling him to stand down.</p><p>"It was the fucking Saurian Flu that killed our family and friends, Brad," Thompson said. "Maisie may have let out a considerable number of animals some years ago, but their numbers were way too small to cause this much devastation. You know that."</p><p>Bradley breathed in and out slowly like he just ran a mile. "No, it was that idiot scientist from her group that started all this, too. Every single thing that led humanity into a downward spiral to the bottom of the food chain involved this woman and that girl!"</p><p>"Hey!" Claire shouted. "I didn't know one of the members of my group was going to be so severely traumatized by what happened in the Lockwood Manor that he'd lose his marbles and do what he did. Nothing I could do could stop this. Besides, the research from Ingen was shared all over the world. Bought and paid for by greedy fucks who wanted to build their own Jurassic Parks. Blame them. Or are you too ashamed by your tiny balls that you'd go blaming all your problems on a little girl? Huh, Brad? Is that why you got your daddy to pay Commander Lockheart to keep you on guard duty? Are you scared to go into the jungle, Brad? Can't stand that there are girls who are braver and bigger than you, tough guy?"</p><p>"Watch it, Dearing!" Bradley snarled. "When last I checked, I don't answer to you. No one here does. You're the supervisor, but that don't mean shit around here. You're in charge of keeping all these people fed and happy. And making sure the toilets flush."</p><p>"Unfortunately, he's right, Claire," Thompson said, holstering his magnum. "Maisie missed the final check-in. We have to close the gates. Don't make me have to get Lockheart. You're in enough trouble as it is."</p><p>Claire, still glaring in Bradley's eyes, shook her head. "If Owen were still here —"</p><p>"—well the fact is, he isn't, Claire!" barked Thompson. "Now you either get your ass back in your apartment or you'll be spending the night in a cell. Don't make me have to make that call, little lady."</p><p>"Close it, then," Claire finally said after a long pause. "But I'll sit by the guardhouse and wait for her to come back."</p><p>"All night?"</p><p>"All night. I have your word you'll be searching for her tomorrow, Thompson?"</p><p>"Yes, ma'am. We'll leave no stone unturned. We'll even search through piles of droppings for any evidence of her if that's what it'll take to give you some peace of mind. Not that it will come to that."</p><p>"It's probably already happened for all I know," Bradley said, walking away.</p><p>Claire smiled after the young soldier left. "No, you're right, Thompson. She's all right. I can feel it. Owen taught her everything she knows about surviving out there."</p><p>"Then I know we'll find her safe and sound tomorrow. You gonna be okay?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"All right. I'll get you some coffee. Don't stay up too late, honey."</p><p>Claire rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Thompson. But I can take care of myself. Get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow if my girl doesn't show up. Where in the hell could she be?"</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Maisie</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p>She was woken by a splash of cold, smelly, water. Maisie gasped for air. She fumbled around, wondering where she was. She tried to raise her head, but she bumped it against something hard. Ack! That hurt! She slapped both her hands on the spot, rubbing it gently to ease it from the pain. She felt her legs and elbows bumping against bars. She gasped in horror, realizing she was in a cage so small it wouldn't even house a small dog. Maisie squirmed around in a thick, cold, puddle. It was raining heavily outside her cage, chilling her to the bone. She felt herself and gasped again. She barely had any clothes on. She had been stripped down to her underwear and socks — her gear and her guns were all gone.</p><p>Someone was laughing at her from behind. Maisie couldn't turn to see who it was; the cage was too small. Then, someone else came towards her and turned the cage around with ease until Maisie faced the laughing man, who then shined a bright light at her face. She squinted and coughed. The back of her throat was burning with infection.</p><p>"Wakey, wakey!" jeered the fellow.</p><p>Maise adjusted her eyes to the light and immediately recognized who it was. It was the skinny man who was looting her earlier. His neck was long and thin, making his head look large compared to the rest of his body. He had long, greasy, red hair and a messy beard dotted with dandruff and crumbs. He saw Maisie looking at him through the bars of her cage and mockingly showed off his new gear, holding out his arms and bobbing his head up and down.</p><p>He proudly wore her plate carrier, acting cool and suave. Maisie's prized Smith and Wesson 500 was hanging off his shoulder from the black tactical sling and he carried her M4 adding salt to the wound. She knew it was hers. The stock was covered with stickers and had a glowstick attached to it and the rifle had a dark green netted camouflage with black silhouettes of pines that she spray-painted herself to give it a unique look. </p><p>Maisie noticed her things were piled up on a wooden crate under a light. A stout, bearded fellow was fumbling around her stuff, looking for more loot. He found nothing but decided to mess with the girl. He picked up Maisie's jeans and tauntingly held them up so she could see. He brought the crotch of the jeans to his nose and sniffed it.</p><p>"Mmmm, like a peach," he said. </p><p>"She's such a cutie," said the skinny man, squatting down to look at her. "Come on, Pa, can I keep her? I'll take really good care of her. I promise!"</p><p>"What the hell did I tell you, boy!?" yelled the man behind Maisie's cage. "We need entertainment for tonight's show."</p><p>"Aw, come on, Pa! You're just gonna waste her like that? This is so unfair!"</p><p>"Hey! You got her loot and that's all you're gonna get. If you wanna complain, tell it to Mama. Now shut up!" He looked down at the cage. "All right, you. You're gonna come out nice and easy. Give us any trouble and my boy's gonna pop a bullet in your head. And if he don't have the balls to do it, then I will. Now get up."</p><p>He took out a ring of keys from his green jacket and unlocked Maisie's cage. "Get out! Come on, get out!"</p><p>Maisie tried. Her body was so sore and she was sick with a fever. Already her slow pace caused the skinny man's 'Pa' to get angry. He seized her by the wrist and pulled her out, dragging Maisie through the mud. He picked her up and told her to stand there. Maisie shivered, covering herself from the laughing man's gaze. She blushed as he shined the light up and down her body. Her tank top became translucent, making her appear naked. All of a sudden Pa uncoiled a hose hanging on the wall washed the mud off her body. The water was cold and stung her like a thousand bees. Poor Maisie whimpered and yelped, begging for him to turn it off, but he didn't stop hosing her down until he washed every inch and every crevice. He finally, mercifully, put the hose away and patted her down roughly with a dirty, smelly towel before he dressed her into rags made of a torn burlap sack marked with a red X on the chest.</p><p>Pa pushed her forward, commanding her to follow a pebbly path, leading to the top of a slope overlooking a ringed structure made of junk, chainlink fence, old cars, and even parts of a crashed passenger plane. There was a hellish glow radiating from the center of the structure and loud cheering mixed with beastly snarls drowned out by heavy metal music.</p><p>"Move!" the man said, pushing Maisie forward.</p><p>She was marched towards the structure. She was led down dark corridors, lit up by orange streaks from the flames of burning barrels and torches lined all around the structure. Jagged and creepy-looking shadows danced menacingly against the crude iron walls, which were rusted beyond repair. Maisie heard something growling outside and then a woman screamed, followed by a loud, satisfied cheer. The man led Maisie toward a sliding iron door and they stopped. The man banged his fist against it and called for the gatekeeper to open it.</p><p>The door shook and let out a loud groan. Maisie's face creased with discomfort, for her ears were not ready for that terrible noise. She swallowed nervously, the irritation in her throat stung her. When the door rose up, she saw a pit of sand in front of her. The walls were covered with blood and chains and decorated with human bones. Flaming barrels lit the pit and sitting high above the walls were more than two dozen spectators, howling and cheering. Heavy metal music blasted from loudspeakers on the walls. Oh, God! Maisie thought. This was an arena. And she must be tonight's newest combatant.</p><p>"Get moving!" the man said, kicking her butt and pushing her forward. Maisie lost her footing and fell face-first on the sand. Her chin was cut open by the fall after she landed on pebbles.</p><p>An elderly lady from her balcony over the pit. She had a crooked nose with a wart over the right nostril. Her messy gray hair looked like spiderwebs underneath her pink flannel kerchief. She wore a leather vest over a dirty white dress and had a shotgun strapped to her back.</p><p>"All right! Are you ready for the next program! Gimme a holler if y'all wanna see some blood and guts!"</p><p>The spectators did as they were told, stomping against the floor and clapping slowly. Vendors went up and down the stairs hollering their wares from beer, popcorn, kettle-cooked chips, and barbecue ribs. There were even children in the arena. A group of them huddled over the railing nearest to the pit and taunted Maisie as she looked around, eyes wide open in horror.</p><p>"All right, Marty!" the woman called. "Get her ready. Our customers want to see some action."</p><p>There were three more doors that led to the pit. Each of them shook as something monstrous pounded against them. This had to be a dream. A really bad dream.</p><p>The man named Marty sat Maisie down beside an iron stake sticking out of the ground. He fastened a heavy collar around her neck and attached a long chain to it, which was tied around the base of the stake.</p><p>"Have a lovely night," he said before running off to safety. "Okay, Mama! She's ready! Let the show begin!" He climbed up a ladder towards the balcony to join the woman.</p><p>"And now the moment you've all been waiting for!" Mama cried out. "The main event! My hunters have risked life and limb to bring you these three monstrosities from the jungle. They are big! They are mean! They are nasty! And they are hungry! Well, we've got them a little snack." Mama jeered into the microphone when she saw Maisie crying. "Awwww, isn't she just precious? Don't you worry about a thing, honey, they usually kill ya before they start eating."</p><p>The spectators laughed.</p><p>"That's right, everybody. If our three contenders wanna munch on her sweet meat, they're gonna have to fight for her...TO THE DEATH!"</p><p>The crowd cheered and started chanting the chop. The three creatures behind the gates didn't like that sound. All three of them snarled and banged against the gates with all their might. Mama laughed and jumped up and down.</p><p>"All right. I think we've kept our boys waiting long enough. RAISE THE GATES!"</p><p>Maisie felt the arena shaking. She backed herself up all the way against the stake, wondering what she was going to do to get out of this terrible situation. Strobe lights flashed from inside the chambers, revealing the silhouettes of the three monstrous creatures. Something didn't care to wait. It dashed out of the chamber and sprinted toward Maisie. It was a four-legged beast that looked like a crocodile with long legs. It was red in color with a cream-colored underbelly, black banding on the tail, and purple nodes armoring its back.</p><p>Postosuchus. It stopped in front of Maisie and sniffed her to see if she was something good to eat. Drool oozed from its teeth. It snapped its jaws at her but then a green bipedal dinosaur dashed out of the chamber it was held and used its jaws to clamp down around the Postosuchus's neck. The green dinosaur had a yellow streak going down its body and strange hump near the base of the tail. The tail faded from green at the base into a golden-brown color with reddish-bown bandings. Red feathers stuck from its elbows. A concavenator. There was no mistaking it.</p><p>Even while she was drowning in fear, Maisie could easily recognize the animals around her. This green one Maisie had no trouble recognizing. She had seen this one plenty of times, for this unique dinosaur was kept stuffed in her grandfather's museum in the estate.</p><p>The concavenator wrestled with the postosuchus, trying to keep it locked in its jaws. Postosuchus rolled, causing the concavenator to flip end over end, and slamming against the ground. The fans jumped up and cheered. The postosuchus gnarred in anger and bit down on the concavenator's leg. The green dinosaur hissed and kicked the Triassic beast in the face, scratching its eye with a sharp claw. Postosuchus scurried away and the concavenator chased after it.</p><p>That was two creatures. But where was the third carnivore Mama promised? Maisie didn't have to wait long to figure that out. She felt the ground shaking underneath her and the sound of something snorting heavily caused her to freeze. The animal stopped. Maisie felt a blast of hot air on the back of her neck, followed by the pungent smell of rotting meat. Then a snarl made a shiver go up her spine.</p><p>Slowly, she turned. In the hellish glow of the flaming barrels, she saw two very long fangs, dripping with saliva. This creature was strange-looking. Though reptile-like in appearance, it had very dog-like features, including a snout topped with a cold nose Maisie could make out its orangish-brown color and its black tiger stripes. It had a heavy leather collar around its neck with half a chain dangling from it. The crowd hooted with glee, laughing at Maisie's facial expression as she looked into the mouth of the massive animal.</p><p>It was some kind of Gorgonopsid. A very big one. The animal barked and scooted towards her. Maisie rolled out of the way. The Gorgonopsid scurried right over her, Maisie could feel its claws just missing her. The animal turned around, ready to attack her again. Then all of a sudden the concavenator bit down on its tail and ripped it off. The Gorgonopsid reared its head in agony but used its pain to go into a berserk fury, chasing down the concavenator. The green dinosaur jumped out of the way, missing the other animal's jaws by inches. When they were distracted, postosuchus saw its chance and went after Maisie.</p><p>Maisie wrapped the chain around her fist and flung it like a whip to keep it from attacking her. Postosuchus was unphased by the strike, rearing up on its hind legs in a frightening display. It slammed its two front legs on the ground and went after her again. Maisie stood up and threw the chain at the animal again, hitting it on the side of its jaw.</p><p>"Look at that!" Mama shouted into the microphone. "The little one thinks she can fight back!"</p><p>Meanwhile, concavenator and the gorgonopsid were still locked in combat, both of them trying to outwit each other, waiting for someone to make a mistake so as to make the killing blow. The gorgonopsid skipped to the right and then lunged at the green dinosaur's leg, chomping down on it with all its might until the bones in its ankle snapped. Concavenator roared and fell to the ground, hissing in defeat. When it saw that its foe had fallen, the gorgonopsid ran towards Maisie, mouth wide open, ready for a bite of her juicy meat. It had been starved for days. It wanted meat. Maisie smelled young and tender; a tasty treat for the gorgonopsid.</p><p>But that damn postosuchus. It had almost forgotten it had to contend with it as well. The crowd booed; they were starting to get bored. They wanted blood. More than anything, they wanted to see Maisie getting torn apart already. Surprisingly, she was still alive and unscathed. Hopefully, one of the two animals would get a kill over one another and go after the girl. Concavenator was still alive, but it couldn't stand. Its ankle was useless and it couldn't stand.</p><p>Postosuchus would emerge victorious this night. It chomped down hard on the gorgonopsid's leg, snapping its bones like twigs. In a combination of shock and blood loss from the mutilated tail, the gorgonopsid keeled over on its side and howled for mercy. Postosuchus shook its head and then bit down on the gorgonopsid's neck, choking the life out of it. Finally, it was dead. But it would not live to see its victory.</p><p>Maisie jumped on top of the animal's neck and jabbed something into its right eye. Postosuchus screeched and then slumped to the ground. Maisie lifted the object from the ancient reptile's eye and then jabbed it over and over again on its throat. The crowd went silent. When the animals were fighting together, Maisie took the time to pull the stake from the ground and use it as a weapon.</p><p>She sighed sadly, petting the animal on the back of the head. "Sorry," she whispered. Even though she was fighting for her life, it pained her to know she had to end this poor animal. A gunshot broke the silence. Mama had blown out the wounded concavenator's head with Maisie's magnum.</p><p>"Well, folks," she said nervously. "Ahem. Uh...woo. Um...well, like I always say. You never can expect what can happen around here. Come back next week for more thrills at The Jurassic Pit! My boys are the best hunters around and I promise they will come back with even fiercer beasties to look forward to. Until then, goodnight and stay safe."</p><p>When the last spectator had left, Mama ordered her son Marty to get Maisie and bring her outside. Maisie thought it would be like the movies where the hero, who survived against insurmountable odds, would get respected or even get treated to a reward. She knew that would be too good to be true. Instead, she found herself stripped and beaten in the mud until she could no longer stand. These people were savages with no sense of decency or humanity or remorse. They were worse than animals.</p><p>Mama pressed her boot against Maisie's head, causing her to cry out in pain. "You just ruined my reputation ya little whore!" Mama shouted over the pouring rain. "I promised my customers blood and that's what I always deliver. All you had to do was be a good little girl and let something eat you. But no. You just had to be the big, damn, hero, and ruin a perfectly good show."</p><p>The madwoman cackled like a witch. "All right, you wanna be hero, we'll make you a fuckin' hero. You're gonna go down in a blaze of glory, little one. Boys! Get out there and find me the biggest, baddest, dinos in the jungle. Let's give our customers a show they'll never forget!"</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Maisie's Journal</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Inostrancevia</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>  </strong> </span>
</p><p>A creature from the genus Gorgonopsidae. It lived during the Late Permian era and was a victim of the catastrophic Permian Mass Extinction, which was said to wipe out almost 80% of life on earth. It was manufactured by the corporation Raiden, which seemed to be the headliners in bringing back creatures from before the age of dinosaurs. This one was produced in mass numbers for some odd reason. After the Saurian Flu, we guess these creatures escaped from captivity and fled into the mountains where they reproduced like crazy. I see a large number of them stalking the beaches hunting small dinosaurs and the herds of scutosaurus that occasionally migrate here from Washington. They have grown to be something of a nuisance for the scouts. They can grow as big as an African lion and can run just as fast.</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Concavenator</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><hr/><p>This is a dinosaur I'm very familiar with. I've seen a statue of it in my grandfather's museum back in the manor. it was scary-looking as a statue, but seeing it in real life is just something else entirely. They are known for that strange hump on their backs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous and can grow up to 20 feet long. They're pretty rare in this part of the jungle, but scouts reported having encounters with them from time to time. I sure as hell hope I don't run into this thing. Some of them have been seen to be scaly, while others have been noted to have colorful plumage on their arms and tails. This is the work of Biosyn. I read in the papers that they intend to make the dinosaurs they bring back as close to their original forms as possible. If only they knew what that would mean for us.</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Postosuchus</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>  </strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>An apex predator from the Triassic Period. It's been seen hanging around beaches and swamps hunting for placerias and scutosaurus. The skull is big and well-built, equipped with powerful jaws and dagger-like teeth that oftentimes kill its quarry with one powerful bite. I saw first-hand what this creature could do when it bit Kevin's leg off with one bit as if it were pliers breaking down a chain. Bullets have proven useless when trying to take it down due to its tough, armored flesh. Tina shot it multiple times with her carbine, but all the bullets did was create a big puff of dust and scales. It kept charging at her like it was nothing. One very tough beast. Respect its space and steer clear at all times.  </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lord of the Beasts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Maisie</strong> </span>
</p><hr/><p>
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</p><p>"Did you ever hear the story of Collette and the Great Bear?" Owen asked little Maisie, who was relaxing on a sleeping bag across from the fire in between them. He was sitting on the stump of a tree and lying at the roots was a cooler full of beer and some soda for Maisie.</p><p>Maisie, clutching a stuffed T-Rex leaned forward and shook her head no. The fire snapped sending embers up into the air. An owl hooted somewhere in the darkness and the calls of a Bajadasaurus heard rang blissfully in the valley below their cottage.</p><p>"It was an old medieval tale about a beautiful maiden who was banished from her village. My grandma had this really old book on folktales in her library, which was in this small den with a glass door. When I misbehaved, she would lock me in there until I learned my lesson. There was nothing to do so, obviously, I just read books until she decided I was ready to come out."</p><p>Maisie laughed.</p><p>"What's so funny, kiddo?"</p><p>"You getting grounded. I just don't see it."</p><p>"Oh, well, ha, ha, ha. Next time Claire sends you to your room, I'm going to be laughing my head off."</p><p>Maisie suppressed a laugh behind her stuffed dinosaur. "Well, what was the story about?"</p><p>"Right. Well, there was a girl — hmm, about your age — named Collette, who lived in a quiet village in the mountains. She was so pretty, so pure, so kind and so beloved, that everyone from knights to lords, and even princes would come to see her and bring her gifts and offer their hands in marriage. Now the lord of the village; he doesn't like that. Mmm-mmm, not one bit. He starts to notice that she's getting paid more homage than him. She pretty much became the biggest celebrity in town. The guests would visit the lord of the town, but for a little while. They'd just be like 'yeah, yeah, good to see you. Well off to see the hot chick down the street.' The lord of the town starts growing to hate her."</p><p>"Oh wow," Maise giggled.</p><p>"And that's not all that's making him mad. Collette's beauty is distracting all these noble prospects from his daughter, who's not as good-looking as Collette is. One day, a powerful king comes by and asks the maiden to marry his son, who is pretty much your generic-as-hell Prince Charming. He's a boy that all the girls in the kingdom want. And he chose Collette."</p><p>"Can I have a drink?" Maisie asked.</p><p>"Comin' right up," Owen said. His hand went deep into the ice of the cooler, fishing for one of the last bottles of coca-cola. He tossed it at her and she caught it with ease. As she opened it, Owen took out a bottle of beer.</p><p>"So what happened next?"</p><p>Owen dried his soaked hand against his jeans. "Well, the lord of the village couldn't take it anymore. He was furious with Collette." Owen lowered his voice to sound like the lord. "'How?' he says. 'How can some poor, lowly milkmaid be more beloved than my rich, beautiful, daughter?' Oh man, he was piiiissed. Oof. Just mad like — Claire when you don't clean up your room mad but times that by a hundred. So, he hires these thugs that steal her away in the middle of the night. They ride into the forest for days and then keep her prisoner inside a hidden cave, miles, and miles away from her home. And they do all kinds of terrible things to her. Bad things. Really, really, bad things."</p><p>He smacks his palms together to make a loud snapping noise, which told Maisie everything she needed to know about how bad the torture was. She gasped and clutched her T-Rex. The fire crackled again. Owen threw a few more sticks into the pit to feed the flames more.</p><p>He took a sip of beer then said: "One day, they decided it would be fun to tie her up against a tree and douse her with deer blood so that they could get the attention of a large brown bear named Forte the Lord of the Mountain. Ooooo!" He wiggled his fingers. "So they waited...and they waited...and they waited…"</p><p>Owen paused. "And then…ROOOOOAR!"</p><p>He jumped out of his seat, holding up his arms in a menacing pose. Maisie shrieked and sprang from her spot. She crawled into her sleeping bag and hid as she laughed. She peeked out and Owen continued the story.</p><p>"This really load roar thunders down from the mountains! The trees start snapping, birds fly away, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" He flapped his arms. "Even the wolves piss themselves at the sound of this thing. Finally, the earth beneath their feet start moving and he appears. The hugest, most tallest, most humongo-sized bear bursts out of the trees and spots Collette tied up. Now, I know what you're thinking. This is the part where she starts panicking like the damsel in distress. Or Prince Charming rides down in a full suit of armor to save the day. Well, this ain't that kind of a story."</p><p>"So she dies?"</p><p>"No. Colette is as still as a rock. She doesn't scream, she doesn't panic. Not even as this giant big-assed bear is walking towards her. Now the bad guys; they were expecting the bear to eat her down to the bone. But you know what Collette did?"</p><p>Maisie shook her head. Owen raised the bottle to his lips. Maisie copied him. Owen noticed this. He repeated the movement a few more times. Maisie mimicked his every move, from the way he drank the beverage down to how he set the bottle down.</p><p>"Well?" Maisie asked.</p><p>He nodded getting back to the story.</p><p>"She started singing to the bear. And when Forte heard that beautiful voice of hers, he sat down and he listened to her. He was so entranced by the sound of her voice, that he couldn't find it within himself to eat her. Now, the kidnappers, they're like 'whaaat?' why he's not eating her? He was supposed to eat her! So they charge in, ready to kill both Collette and the bear. But he was too strong for them. One by one, Forte the Lord of the Mountain, killed them. Then, Collette hopped on his back and they went back to the village where Prince Charming is at a feast to celebrate the upcoming wedding between him and the lord's daughter. You can imagine the surprise on everyone's faces when they see Collette alive and well while riding into town on the back of a giant bear. She tells them what happened, and the king orders the Lord and his daughter locked away for life. Prince Charming marries Collette, and they lived happily ever after."</p><p>"Is there a moral to the story? Every story's got to have a moral, right?"</p><p>"Well, of course, there is. Sometimes, the greatest heroes are ourselves. You can't always expect Prince Charming to come and save you. Sometimes, especially these days, the only person you can depend on is yourself. And even though you might not get the ending you want and the odds are against you, don't go out without a fight. Keep a strong head, be brave, and you just might survive. Remember that."</p><hr/><p>SPLASH!</p><p>"Wakey, wakey!" jeered Harold, the name of the skinny man. It seemed to be his routine to splash Maisie awake with a bucket of water. Maisie gasped and stirred around in her cage. Even after being in their custody for weeks, she was not used to this terrible start to what would be an already miserable day. She spat the smelly water out of her mouth. God, she didn't even want to think what was is it to give it that horrible smell.</p><p>"Here's your breakfast," Harold said, holding a bologna sandwich with mustard. He cut it into two slices and slid it through an opening in her cage. Maisie picked it up and ate it, causing Harold to laugh. "You enjoy that now, girly. It's gonna be the last one you'll ever have. My Pa and my older brothers found lots of scary new friends for you to play with tonight. Heh, heh, heh, you're gonna give our customers one hell of a show."</p><p>The sun went down faster than usual for Maisie. It felt as if the whole world had gone against her and wanted to see her struggled to survive the newest additions to Mama's Pit. She heard trucks and jeeps crunching on the pebbles on the ground and then people laughing, chattering, and even some kids squealing with delight to see tonight's new event. In no time at all, Maisie could hear the speakers blasting heavy metal over the walls of the dreaded arena. Soon, Harold and his brothers came through the gate to the yard where they kept Maisie.</p><p>They took her out of her cage, washed her, and fitted her with the dirty burlap sack again. She realized that she was not alone. An elderly man, a woman with her lover, and a young man in his early twenties were being led to the arena as well. They were all wearing the burlap sacks Maisie was wearing. They had cuts and bruises on their faces, meaning they, too, were captured and brought here against their will. As they got closer to the arena, Maisie heard the sounds of vicious creatures snarling, growling, and roaring from their cages. The walls of the Pit shuddered and clanked as the large animals pounded inside the prisons.</p><p>Maisie and the other prisoners were sat in front of a window made of plexiglass, which gave them a good view of the carnage inside. Maisie couldn't believe what she was seeing. There were two giant herbivores called torosaurus locking their horns in mortal combat. There was a female one locked in a cage. She paced back and forth honking and smashing the iron bars with her horns. She was also very young and in heat to excite the males and force them to fight even harder. The dinosaurs had very distinct and colorful camouflage. They were yellowish-white with black splotches all over their bodies and blue splotches along the spine. Their horns were pitch black and their eyes were like molten gold in the light of the flaming barrels. Clouds of dust and smoke puffed all around them as they stamped and slid across the ground.</p><p>It seemed like neither of them was giving way. But then, the biggest one charged in with all his might, locking his horns once again with his foe, knocking him on his side. The foe hurt his foot and he couldn't get up. He didn't want to fight anymore. He surrendered. The crowd started to boo, and then Mama blasted the poor dinosaur's head with a shot from Owen's magnum. He was a tough beast. Though he roared from the burning agony, he still lived. Mama shot him once more; he rolled around. Finally, the third shot killed him.</p><p>"It's no wonder we're going extinct," said the elderly man. "Look at the lows we can go for a quick buck and a rush."</p><p>Mama held up her hands, calming down the bloodthirsty crowd. "Show's not over yet, folks! We've still got plenty of fights for all of ya! In fact, our buddy here ain't done yet. Boys! Release the Beast!"</p><p>The heavy metal music blasted from the speakers of another iron door that lifted slowly and menacingly. Orange rotating warning lights flashed from walls on either side of the rising door and sirens wailed. Then, a menacing roar shook the arena. Kids covered their ears and screamed as horrible beast walked out into the Pit. He was colored orange with black stripes and banding on his legs and tail. His underbelly was reddish-black and faded into light orange at the tail. The nodes and bumps on his scaly skin were black as well, clashing for dominance against his orange body. He was crowned from the top of his head to the base of the neck with long, thorny, spikes.</p><p>Siats Meekerorum was the name of the beast. His tail whipped fiercely in the air and drool oozed from his teeth. He was hungry. The sedatives that Harold's brothers used to bring him down dehydrated him, making him agitated. The male torosaurus grunted and shook his head from side to side, stamping his feet against the ground, threatening the predator to stay back. Though he was ready to take a stand, it looked like he didn't have much fight left in him. He panted heavily. He shot steam out of his mouth and shook his head from side to side, hoping to scare and confuse the predator with the black splotches on his crest, which looked like two large eyes.</p><p>The siats was not phased. It gave out a roar that sounded like the engine of a jet and slid his foot across the dirt, his tail raised to confirm he was ready for combat.</p><p>"Fight! Fight!" shouted a little boy, clutching an armful of popcorn and candy from the concession stand.</p><p>Just then, the door behind the observation room where Maisie and the others were kept prisoner opened. A group of men rounded them up and sent them down the hall where they stood in front of a door. It opened slowly. Maisie saw the tail of the siats whipping around and a cloud of dust. It smelled of popcorn and death out there. The roar of the crowd was even louder. Finally, they were pushed into the arena. The woman's lover ran to get the wranglers to reconsider, but he was shot in the head. The woman screamed, drawing the attention of the siats. It snarled and turned away from the torosaurus, who backed up against the caged female, who was his prime concern.</p><p>"Aww, no!" shouted Mama. "It ain't gonna be that easy! Ladies! Gentlemen! Animals! It's time fooooooor!"</p><p>"FEEDING FRENZY!"</p><p>Another door opened from the opposite side of the arena. Four beasts sprang out, drawn by the blood of the fallen torosaurus on the ground. They were colored black with orange rectangular patterns and had large red dewlaps lined with spikes. They were massive in size and their presence caused the crowd to jump out of their seats. Allosaurus Maximus, otherwise known as Saurophagonax. How these lunatics were able to capture them was a mystery. Siats roared at them, telling them to stay back. The elderly man sprinted towards to walls and desperately tried to find a way out, thinking the dinosaurs were too distracted by one another to notice him.</p><p>"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" he shouted, banging on the walls with his fist and knees. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! WE'RE PEOPLE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"</p><p>Maisie and the others frantically called out to him. But it was too late. The man felt the ground shaking, getting stronger and stronger as it got closer to him. He turned around and saw two saurophagonax standing behind him. He screamed at the top of his lungs. His fear was intense. He held up his arms and waved them around, hoping to ward off the creatures to no avail. The first one grabbed him by the stomach with its teeth and shredded his guts out. Then the second one clenched its jaws around his arm and ripped it off with ease. The man was still alive as they ate him; he was screaming from the fear and the unbearable fiery pain. And then...he would feel nothing more as death came to his rescue and saved him from the agony.</p><p>The second pair snarled hungrily and stalked Maisie and the others. But the siats towards them. They ducked out of the way, but the woman was not so fortunate. She was so overcome by the fear and the shock of losing her lover that she could not move, she was paralyzed by her emotions. She screamed, throwing her hands up in the air as if they were going to shield her from the beast. He stomped on her, flattening her against the ground. She coughed and let out a series of painful wheezing noises as blood bubbled from out of her mouth. The siats roared to threaten the saurophagonax pack, threatening them to stay away from the tasty morsels running around the arena. They were his; his claimed dominance over them like a child not wanting to share his candy with other children.</p><p>The young man peed his pants. He could take it no more, he tried to run for his life. He didn't make it far. He got too close to the female torosaurus. It agitated the male. He charged and knocked him with enough force to send him flying across the arena. He landed on the dirt, dead. A large, bloody hole from where the dinosaur's horn struck him could be seen.</p><p>Maisie was all alone. She was alone surrounded by horrifying monsters and a bloodthirsty crowd, cheering and shouting, thirsty to see her get ripped apart by the dinosaurs in the arena. She didn't know what to do. When she saw the fire of the barrels burning in the siat's eyes. A very powerful memory returned to her.</p><p>Sometimes, the greatest heroes are ourselves. You can't always expect Prince Charming to come and save you. Sometimes, especially these days, the only person you can depend on, is yourself. And even though you might not get the ending you want and the odds are against you, don't go out without a fight. Keep a strong head, be brave, and you'll survive. Remember that…</p><p>Maisie saw a support beam that kept up the balcony where Mama and her sons were watching the action. She came up with a plan at once. It was a stupid one, but it was all she had to get out of here. She ran towards the cage where the female torosaurus was being kept, angering the bull. He hollered and chased after Maisie. This was it. If she could just get the bull to smash into one of the supports, she could cause enough damage to find a way out on her own. The odds were really stacked against her now. She was more likely to get impaled by the dinosaur behind her. Or, get snatched up by the jaws of the siats or the saurophagonax pack. But if she could make it past all that, then this was her ticket out of here.</p><p>Certainty of death. Small chance of success. Well, it beat waking up in that cage tomorrow. But just before she could even think of getting to the support, let alone the dinosaurs, Maisie felt a sharp pain up her leg. She screamed and got tossed into the air. The torosaurus gored her in the back of the leg. She flipped and landed on her belly. The crowd laughed at her. Maisie tried to get up, but the wind was completely knocked out of her. She checked her leg. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was, but the tip of his nose horn sliced through her flesh.</p><p>It could have been worse. Oh, what was she saying? It was worse. Torosaurus was now surrounded by the saurophagonaxes. Siats, thankfully, wanted a bigger meal and stomped toward the dead tororsaurs bull and started eating him. One of the saurophagonax jumped on the back of the torosaurus. But the bull would not tolerate this. He bucked around and knocked the predator off his back, knocking him towards the support beam. The balcony lurched forward, violently. Mama, her sons, and the guards fell towards the railing, now hanging dangerously over the pack. Siats turned his head, a chunk of meat dangling from is jaws, and looked at the chaos going on beside him. He snorted and tossed the meat into the air and chomped it down until it slid into his gullet. He continued eating; he didn't care what was going on.</p><p>Finally, the balcony gave way. Mama and the others fell into the pit. The crowd screamed, they were helpless to save her. Harold tried to shoot them, but the 5.56 rounds did very little to pierce the thick skin of the saurophagonax. He screamed as one grabbed him by the shoulder, swept him off his feet. The dinosaur shook him around, snapping his arm bones like twigs. Then a second one jumped in and tore his leg off.</p><p>Maise fought through the pain and tried to stand. She fell a couple of times but charged towards Mama, who was rolling around on the ground, her leg was stuck underneath the debris. She screamed in fright, watching her wranglers, hunters, and sons getting picked off one by one. The torosaurus attacked them, plowing them down with his enormous weight.</p><p>"Help me!" Mama shouted. "Help me!"</p><p>Maisie ran towards her.</p><p>"Yes, yes, that's a good girl. That's a good girl. Come on, sweetie help me."</p><p>But Maisie ignored her pleads for help. She instead reclaimed Owen's magnum and raced away from the carnage, leaving Mama to her fate. The torosaurus saw Mama and reared up on his hind legs. The last thing Mama saw was the giant foot of the animal she so cruelly exploited. It fell and flattened her head into a messy red pile of goop.</p><p>Maisie ran past the Siats, still feasting on the torosaurus and toward the female's cage. She checked the chamber to see what she had. Four rounds. Damn! Still, she was glad to have it back. She fired at the padlock, smashing it open. Then, the female burst through the door of her cage and stampeded toward the saurophagonaxes to aid her male friend. She smashed one from behind, sending him flying towards the ruins of the balcony. Feeling intimidated by her presence, the other predators backed away. Finally, they both charged towards one of the walls underneath the stands, which looked weak.</p><p>WHAM!</p><p>They smashed through it, knocking the spectators into the pit as well. The night erupted with shrieks and screams and the roars of hungry dinosaurs. The torosaurus pair started smashing anything in their way, cars, shacks, gates, and people. Maisie saw her chance. Wasting no time, she darted past the fallen and confused crowd. Once she made it out of the arena, she heard something. Grunting and snarls. Dinosaurs. There were so many of them locked in cages, ready to be loaded into the arena to fight to the death. Maisie couldn't find it in her heart to abandon them. She saw a workbench with a crowbar and lots of other tools sitting on it. She grabbed it and started freeing the dinosaurs. Mama's wranglers caught so many of them. Kentrosaurus, a young stegosaurus, a bull nasutoceratops, and a juvenile apatosaurus just to name a few. Maisie worked tirelessly to let them all free, risking getting caught by Mama's men, who were still running about, shooting the rampaging animals to no avail. A bright light arrested her movement, she froze and closed her eyes, shielding them from the light.</p><p>"FREEZE!" shouted a guard. Maisie didn't listen and rolled behind a barrel. The guard fired, missing her. Then she peeked over the barrel and shot him with Owen's magnum. The impact caused her arms to fall backward, knocking her on her butt. The guard grunted when the powerful round shredded his vest and drilled into his body. He fell to the ground.</p><p>"Shots fired!" someone yelled.</p><p>"It came from the pens!"</p><p>Maisie ran as fast as she could. The nasutoceratops she rescued plowed past a pickup truck, knocking it on its side, then smashed through the junk fence. Maisie saw her escape. She growled in frustration as she removed that bloody, smelly, burlap rag they forced her to wear, then she sped into the forest, disappearing into the night.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Maisie's Journal</strong>
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  <span class="u"> <strong>Siats Meekerorum</strong> </span>
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  <strong><em>Siats Meekerorum.</em> I don't know much about this thing. No one does. There were only a few bones of the animal found in Utah. It was mostly dorsal vertebrae from what I read, but they're enough to let us know he was a very large predator. Still, even though the form of the REAL Siats is a mystery, it didn't stop the idiot scientists from creating one of their very own. Science be damned. They didn't care if the holotype was incomplete. They just wanted another cool dinosaur to bring in tickets to their parks. My grandfather would have been ashamed of this. Mills had no idea what he started, bringing those animals here and selling them and the research to make them. The reason this dinosaur came to mind is because I overheard Claire answering a distress call from one of the scouts down in Oakland. "Siats!" he kept screaming. "It's a freakin' siats!"</strong>
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  <strong>I checked out the files Claire had on her desk, detailing the list of all the extinct animals we know so far that have been brought back. Like the Tarbosaurus, Siats Meekerorum was brought back by the Todd-Robuck Foundation, who were keen on making a prehistoric wildlife preserve in Florida. The King of the Mid-Cretaceous, they called him. Kind of a bold name considering we found and know so little about the animal. But with a name like that, I wouldn't be surprised if the foundation made a beast suitable to the name. I hope Siats stays in Oakland. We've already got enough to worry about here.</strong>
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  <span class="u"> <em> <strong>Saurophagonax</strong> </em> </span>
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  <em> <strong>Lord of the Lizard Eaters. This is a very...difficult dinosaur to talk about because some of my friends say her real name is Allosaurus Maximus, a large species of allosaurid. And they'll stand by it. Debating these things with those girls is like sticking a republican and a democrat in one room. Others, like myself, consider her to be in her own genus. I guess we'll never know considering very little of her was found. Not even the clones could be of help identifying the animal because let's face it, they manufacture them as they do in mainstream media. If it has this many teeth or stands like so in the Discovery Channel, then by God, that's what it looked like or behaved. I understand a great number of these animals were rescued by Navy SEALS before the Saurian Flu break out. I read that the Saurophagonax were being tested with strange 'mutations' that can alter their looks, skin color, their bone structure, even their intelligence. What the hell is it all for though?</strong> </em>
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  <em> <strong>Claire said it could have been for a great deal number of things. Arena fighting, exotic pets, things of the sort. Damn them all. Because they wanted to make their very own 'hot rod' dinosaurs, a huge number of these beasts now run rampant across the country. Reports of large packs of these animals have come from Virginia, Texas, Washington, and Utah, the place where it was first found. Even the best scouts tell us not to engage with them. They like to hide their numbers, especially in these dense California forests. Thompson warned us that there were some out there that sported a very dense forest green camouflage, making them almost impossible to see.  </strong></em>
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  <span class="u"> <strong>Torosaurus</strong> </span>
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  <em> <strong>'The Perforated Lizard' This animal had the largest skull of them all, with titanoceratops having the tallest. Torosaurus is usually calm and gentle. But spook them or get within their personal bubble, and they'll charge after you to the ends of the earth until they impale you with their horns. It's uncommon to see large herds of them grazing out in the plains. The girls and I ran into a small group of them by the river when we stopped to fill our canteens. They wanted nothing to do with us and left us completely alone. Although the alpha male snorted at us as a warning to leave him and his herd alone. We were more than happy to oblige. If what Owen says is true, even in our jeep, this large animal could probably outrun us and give us a really bad day. They're pretty intimidating up close, but once you give them the proper respect they deserve and maintain your distance, they're very beautiful to look at.</strong> </em>
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  <strong> <span class="u">Nasutoceratops</span> </strong>
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  <strong><em>Large herds of these animals can be found in Big Rock National Park. I read about an incident that happened up there years ago when the first group happened upon a campsite and were attacked by an adult Allosaurus (I read reports that a little girl chased the predator away with a crossbow, but Thompson thinks it's bullshit to make the story more dramatic for the news). Owen often joked about wanting to wrangle them like cattle because of the way their horns look. I have to admit, they do look like bulls or cows or something. Like the torosaurus (or any dinosaur for that matter) give them space and they'll leave you alone. Otherwise, you'll wind up like Mike. I'm surprised he even has an arm left after what that bull nasuto did to him. End of log. </em> </strong>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Nazgul</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <span class="u"> <strong> Maisie </strong> </span>
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</p><hr/><p>When the morning light touched her face, Maisie pretended it was Claire, trying to wake her up for another day. It made her smile. She could already smell the sausages, ham, and deviled eggs sizzling in the kitchen below. Bad idea. That just made her hungry. The long growl of her stomach, caused her to stir, and finally, sit up. She saw how high she was and gasped, grabbing onto the branch of the tree she was sleeping on. After running a great distance from the arena, Maisie climbed up a tree and tried her best to sleep there. It was a long and terrible evening. She felt ants climbing up her legs and into her shirt. Mosquitos bit her in the night making her legs and arms itch. They got her everywhere, even in very sensitive places. Her tank top was soaked and full of holes and her panties were falling apart. Worst of all, her feet were bloody and dirty from running into the forest all through the night; they stung her awfully. She couldn't go on like this. Maisie tried to move. As soon as she did, she gasped and whimpered from the pain in her side. That was a bad place to be resting on, for she had been kicked there numerous times by Mama and her family when she was their prisoner. Even though the situation was terrible, it sure beats being in their custody. Just being away from them and safe and sound in this uncomfortable tree, made sleeping on branch feel like spending the night in a five-star resort.</p><p>She heard a roar thundering from down the mountain. Maisie gasped, looking around to see if the animal was nearby. Fear suddenly chilled the pit of her stomach. In the distance, she saw smoke and a cloud of birds flying around it. There was no doubt in her mind. It was the arena. She hadn't gone that far after all. That meant that Siats Meekerorum was still around and possibly even the pack of saurophagonax. They could have been anywhere by now.</p><p>Something grunted right beside her. Maisie froze and stood absolutely still. A creature softly bellowed as it leaned forward toward the vegetation and stripped it down with its pencil-shaped teeth. Maisie turned and smiled when she saw it was a long-necked herbivore called Bajadasaurus. Its molten gold eyes rolled towards her direction and it stared at her as it chewed on the leaves is stripped from the tree.</p><p>This animal was very unique on the count of the long, spines protruding forward from the back of its neck. They were black in color; Maisie shivered, for they looked like spider's legs with how they were shaped. The bajadasaurus reared its head back and made a low-sounding call. Soon, more calls joined him. The vegetation snapped as the rest of the herd moved in. Down below, the torosaurus pair Maisie had rescued the night before were grazing alongside them. She was surprised to see this; the dinosaurs formed a symbiotic relationship very quickly. The torosaurus, no doubt, offered them protection if he and his mate could travel with the herd. And why not? There was safety in numbers. She read about armored dinosaurs traveling with hadrosaurs or sauropods in relationships such as this. Oh, if only she had her camera and her notebook! All of a sudden, a small herd of corythosaurus walked out into the clearing and proceeded to a pond to stop and drink.</p><p>Maisie couldn't help but rest her chin on her hands and admire the animals from her perch. Her fascination seemed to relieve her of the itchiness all over her body. Even the warmth of the sun calmed her skin of the bug bites and the pain on her ribs.</p><p>The bajadasaurus was light green in color with black splotches all over their bodies and black stripes overlaying yellow to form a unique pattern, and they had cream-colored underbellies. Their feet and the top of their tails were solid black. When they grumbled, Maisie felt her innards shaking around. The one that was chewing plants by her side grunted as if to call her attention. It turned its head to the south. Maisie looked that direction and saw a homestead far off in the distance. Huh. It was like the animal was pointing out a place for her to go.</p><p>"Thanks," Maisie said.</p><p>Using all her strength, she climbed down the tree. Near the lowest level of branches, she found her advancement arrested when the torosaurus couple stopped to graze. She froze and hunched down to avoid being seen by the animals. If startled, the torosaurus would get agitated and go berserk, therefore causing a stampede. But despite this, the male noticed her, anyway. It stared at her blankly as it chewed on some plants. The female was laying down on a patch of grass that was underneath an opening in the canopy, letting in rays of sunlight.</p><p>"Rrrromp," the male went. He didn't care that she was there. In fact, he seemed to recognize her. He finished chewing his food and continued eating. Even as Maisie climbed down the tree, the male kept eating. Even the bajadasaurus didn't seem to mind her at all. They kept on grazing, some strode to the pond to have a drink. Maisie needed some water, too. She was so dehydrated it hurt. Her mouth was dry and tasted foul and viscous. She spit it out and followed the dinosaurs to the pond. Maisie made sure to keep her head down as she walked past the giants.</p><p>"Brrrrrooop!" honked one of the females who noticed her. Maisie bobbed her head up and down, looking like a struthiomimus, who usually was found eating alongside sauropods. The female snorted and kept on walking. It worked.</p><p>Maisie finally made it to the drinking pool. She went down on her knees and felt her thirst stopped when she looked at the water. It was pretty murky here on the edge and there were bugs skipping on the surface. She could even see a few things swimming in there. She looked to her right at the bajadasaurusus who were taking long drinks beside her. The excess water dripped out of their mouths and back into the pool. Yuck. This wouldn't do at all. Perhaps the water was clearer a little farther in. She noticed a log that was sticking out from the side of the pool. It stretched all the way to the middle where the water seemed bluer. Wasting no time, Maisie trekked to it and climbed on. She crawled to the edge, carefully, so as not to rock the log or cause it to break. She already felt it creaking under her weight. Maisie made it to the center of the pool and cupped the water with her hands. It was crisp, cool, and tasted sweet. She continued to gulp more and more water until her belly was full. Ugh. She had never been so thirsty, not even after biking across the city with Claire and Owen on a hot summer day. It felt like all she ever needed right now was this water. Even though her belly begged her to stop, Maisie kept on drinking and drinking.</p><p>
  <em>Thump!</em>
</p><p>The log shivered from the impact of a large footprint. Maisie heard the sound of something large and hungry growling behind her. She turned her head and heaved in fright. The dinosaur was of immense size, colored green with black stripes, while his long snout was all black with white banding. Its yellowish-white teeth stood out against the black color of the snout, and it had brilliant shining eyes that were the color of a tropical ocean. Baryonyx. Of all the things to run into today. The creature stomped towards, rumbling like an alligator. Maisie recoiled, expecting it to snatch her. Instead, it walked right by her and stood at the edge of the pool. It opened its mouth and stuck it in the water where there were schools of fish swimming around. Maisie watched in horror and fascination as the dinosaur stood there waiting and waiting. Finally, a fish decided to swim in between its jaws then — SNAP! With lightning-fast reflexes, the baryonyx caught the morsel and then it reared its head up, and ate the fish. It opened its jaws again and repeated the motion. Huh, Maisie thought. The animal wasn't interested in hunting her. Still, she didn't want to move and waited for the baryonyx to finish eating its fill. When it did, it gulped down some water and stalked back into the forest. Its footsteps shook the log fiercely.</p><p>The log gave way. "Woah! Woah!" she cried and fell into the water with a splash that caused the dinosaurs to look up, honking and bellowing in confusion. Maisie swam back up, coughing. The dinosaurs saw her as no threat and continued to drink. Maisie could see the baryonyx slowing fading into the trees not too far ahead.</p><p>"Jerk!" Maisie said, spitting water out. She swam to the shore and climbed up. Great. Now she was soaked and chilled to the bone.</p><p>All of a sudden, the trees crashed to the ground and the sound of a jet engine disrupted the calm of the morning. Siats! He had returned! He chased the youngest corythosaurus and grabbed it by the neck. The predator wrestled the young herbivore to the ground, dust climbed into the air all around them. The corythosaurus let out agonizing shrieks and kicked its legs, trying to get away from the beast. Siats used its jaws to break its neck and kill it. The corythosaurus wailed and then moved no more. He looked up and snapped his jaws at the other dinosaurs, warning them to stay back before he began ripping the flesh off his victim.</p><p>The torosaurus backed away, slowly, and the bajadasaurus formed a ring around the young, while the remaining corythosaurus ran into the forest, shrieking in fear and confusion. Maisie decided it was time to go. She crawled through the grass to avoid being seen by the large predator. Though he was busy with his meal, Maisie didn't want to take any chances. She crawled on her belly until she reached the trees, which were so dense, there would be no point for Siats to chase her. Finally, broke into a sprint. She winced as twigs, pebbles, and rocks stung her feet. What she would give for a pair of sturdy boots right about now. She passed by a group of ankylosaurai, quietly grazing on some blueberries. They were too calm and too focused on their food to even care about her. They just growled at her to stay away, and she was more than happy to oblige. She soon realized it was not her they were getting all flustered for. They formed a phalanx and raised their clubbed tails, shouting at the creatures behind Maisie to stay back. Suddenly the sun was blocked by storm clouds just making the situation even direr. The clouds filtered the world in dark blue as metallic screeched rang across the forest.</p><p>
  <em>Oh no. What now?</em>
</p><p>Maisie turned around. Nine black theropods were standing ominously on a ridge above her. Their eyes were ruby red and the slitted iris was outlined in white. And the backs of their heads and arms were plumed with black feathers that faded into ruby-red at the center.</p><p>Megalosaurus. And they appeared to be heavily augmented.</p><p>They had sharp crests protruding above their eyebrows, colored black and fading to red at the tip. They didn't even appear to be animals. They looked like vampires. The leader of the pack let out a terrifying screech that sent even the ankylosaurus group running in fear. But they didn't want to bother with them. Maisie was less armored and a much easier meal to get. But she could not feed all of them. The pack looked at each other as if discussing amongst themselves an agreement about who gets Maisie. Maisie already knew that this was a first come first served type of meal. They darted down the ridge and the chase began. Maisie fled crisscrossing around the trees to try and confuse the predators. That didn't help. They weren't even coordinating with each other for this hunt.</p><p>Maisie looked right and saw one of them was already running side by side with her. It screeched and snapped its jaws menacingly to frighten her. Then, from the left, another megalosaurus emerged. Maisie leaped forward, just missing its jaws by mere inches. It nabbed the back of her top, ripping a large piece of it off. She fell, rolled, and got back up. The megalosaurus that attacked her devoured the piece of cloth hanging from its mouth and roared. Suddenly, three more were now running beside her.</p><p>So great was her fear that it forced her to run like never before. But she was feeling winded. She couldn't keep this up for long and the pack was gaining on her. There was nothing but forest in front of her. It was neverending, it kept going like she was trapped in hell and forced to run from these beasts until they got her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. Finally, mercifully, she burst into a clearing where a herd of corythosaurus were grazing alongside giant herbivores called paraceratherium. They looked like giant, hornless, rhinos with long necks and legs. Maisie sprinted past them, startling the herd. The megalosaurus pack emerged from the vegetation and roared at the giant animals to get out of their way.</p><p>For some odd reason, they didn't go after them. They wanted Maisie. She was their delicious prize, and they wanted to claim her as a treat. Perhaps, she thought, human meat was like candy and regular prey was dinner. The predators zig-zagged around the herd, avoiding getting stomped or smashed by the larger animals. It didn't stop the megalosaurs from chasing her, but it sure slowed them down. Maisie tripped and hit her head on a rock. She got up and continued running. She was so pumped with adrenaline that even her body refused to be dazed by the impact. She heard their haunting metallic screeches getting closer; she couldn't afford to stop now no matter how much her body wanted to give way. All around her, the earth trembled with the footsteps of the giant herbivores, who were frightened by the pack running through their feeding ground.</p><p>Maisie ran and ran and ran through the forest until she was arrested by the river in front of her. Wasting no time and not thinking about the dangers that may lurk beneath its waters, she swam across with everything she had. Every movement brushing against her skin made her believe something was coming up to get her. She kept on swimming until the water felt pebbly and hard. Maisie snapped out of her rush and noticed she was flopping around on the surf like a fish out of water. She pushed herself back up on her feet and stopped, realizing the megalosaurus pack was gone. She turned her head, her bottom lip shivering from the cold and the fear overtaking her. All was quiet. She was half expecting them to run out from the edge of the forest and stand there but they never arrived. She had lost them. The herds must have slowed them down. And there was no way they could swim across the water either.</p><p>Realizing she was safe, Maisie laid down on the dirt to catch her breath. Then, the clouds dispersed, and the sun came out. Its rays warmed her. Exhausted, hungry, and aching from unbearable pain, Maisie found herself losing consciousness. Miraculously, she turned her head and saw a small research facility by the edge of the river. Research facility. Research into what. Next to the facility was a chainlink fence and a sign that said: <strong>Danger. Do not stand 10 ft of the river bed!</strong></p><p>That woke her up.</p><p>Why?</p><p>She lifted her head, and thank goodness she did. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen the water rippling towards her. She was jolted by a burst of energy and sprang out just in time as a giant fish with sharp teeth reared out of the river bed. It snapped its jaws, revealing 8 inch long fangs. The creature then slowly sunk back beneath the river. Maisie kept climbing up the muddy slope and turned just in time to see the fish's eyes slowly vanish under the water.</p><p>She waited a while just to be sure before getting up to explore the research facility. But she couldn't. It was locked tight with a chain and padlock. There was lots of rust on the door and the walls were covered with vines, meaning this place had been abandoned long ago. Maisie moved to the metal balcony on the side of the building facing the river and saw that 20 yards away was more fencing. It was a pen to house the large fish that just attacked her. Whoever used this place must have been studying it. Well, there was no use thinking about getting in there now, but she was rather curious. There could have been supplies in there, she just had to find out. She needed tools. Perhaps the homestead had some. She groaned, realizing she had a long way to go before reaching the homestead, and who knew where those dinosaurs chased her. Was she even anywhere near it anymore? She looked for another way inside. There was a front entrance, but it was bolted shut, too. But there was a map hidden behind some dirt and ivy. Maisie brushed them off. Perhaps the map would give her a clue as to where she was.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>The San Joaquin Research Center</strong> </em>
</p><p>Maisie placed both her hands over her mouth and recoiled a few steps until she backed against the rail, stopping her.</p><p>
  <em>The San Joaquin River!</em>
</p><p>That must've meant she was somewhere in the Sierra National Forest. If so, then Mama's goons took her miles and miles up north, far and away from the LA ruins. Far from home. Far from Claire.</p><p>
  <em>Okay...don't panic, Maisie. Don't panic</em>
</p><p>Her breath came out in puffs. Where was she now? How was she to get home? That didn't display any answers, it just detailed the five research stations located along the river and...a house! Maisie leaned forward to closely examine it. The house she saw in the distance was a housing lodge for the researchers of the...no surprise. The Todd-Robuck Foundation. They must have bought a large portion of the river to house that giant fish that attacked her. Idiots. Well, there was nothing much Maisie could do now but head for the lodge.</p><p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p>It was a long walk, but she finally made it. But there would be nobody there to greet her. Whoever lived here formed a big wall around the lodge, now used as a farm by a homesteader and his family. But the wall appeared to do no good in providing security. Something broke through the gateway to the lodge. Something big. Maisie had to sneak into the estate, in case whatever did this was still around.</p><p>Splat! She stepped into a hole full of water.</p><p>She looked down, gasped, and retreated when she discovered it was a giant three-toed footprint. Was it Siats? No, she thought. Whatever made this was much, much, bigger. Near the footprint, she saw two empty shotgun shells. There was a fight here. She found another footprint; a smashed doll lay in the center. Maisie felt heartbroken when she saw it. Not only did it look sad and miserable, tugging at her heartstrings, but it meant the farmer here had a daughter. A very young one. And she was gone. Maisie pressed the doll against her chest and pet the back of its head.</p><p>Next to the house, she saw clothes that were left to dry on a long line. There were dresses that belonged to the mother, colorful shirts with cartoon princesses, ponies, and flowers for the young one, and some clothes fit for an adolescent girl, signifying the farmer had an older daughter. Maisie pulled those down at once, some jeans, a black tank top, and a dark-red flannel buttoned shirt. Perhaps the older sister had more clothes in the house.</p><p>"Hello?" Maisie called. No answer.</p><p>"Hello! Is anyone in there?" No answer still.</p><p>Maisie walked up the steps to the house. The screen door was closed but the front door was left wide open. Maisie knocked. "Hello!"</p><p>She saw bloody handprints on the wall. No. Whoever lived here was dead. They were all gone. Maisie sighed and went inside, the screendoor creaked and slammed shut behind her. Cautiously, she stepped into the home. She scratched her leg and then brushed a bang off her face with her fingertips. The floorboards creaked loudly under her feet. The house had a rustic look and smell to it as well. All the furniture was covered in dust, causing her to sneeze. She walked into the office to see if anyone was there. Empty, but there was a large diary on the desk, which Maisie curiously took a look at.</p><p>She looked at the first entry.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>We found some old lodge that was used to house the researchers who worked in that locked up facility by the river. It has anything a person could ever need. It has underground generators providing us power and even its own water purifier with pipes leading to the river. Still, I had a bad feeling about the place as soon as I saw the signs near the research station. Foolishly, I brought my son along to gather supplies because I thought he was old enough. Poor Todd was too young to read the warning signs on the fences and went to the river to play. God, I'm such a fool. Forgive me for being so stubborn. I was so focused on opening the lock that I failed to notice my boy at the river before it was too late. A giant fish creature snatched him in an instant, and they were gone. Rachael was so devastated, she wouldn't even talk to me or get up to work on the fortifications with the others. I'm such an idiot! How could I have been so dumb? Had I just turned my back for a few seconds and check on him, my little boy would still be here. I am such an idiot.</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I am such an idiot</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I am such an idiot</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I am such an idiot</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I am such an idiot</strong> </em>
</p><p>For the next six pages, the journal entries repeated the same thing. She skipped to more recent entries.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Robb was impaled by a Mastadon he encountered out in the woods. Such a tragic loss. Now it's just me, Amber, and the kids. A month ago there were twenty of us. Now...now it's just us. And I fear we're not going to last long. Not with that thing out there. The White Death. There's no escaping it. There's no point in trying to survive. It's their world now. God please damn those imbeciles who brought them back to the deepest reaches of hell.</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I just heard it roaring in the mountains. It found us. There's no escape.</strong> </em>
</p><p>Maisie shut the book. The White Death?</p><p>No, no point in thinking about it now. She decided to read it later after she found something to eat and put on her new clothes. She patted the front cover of the diary and proceeded into the kitchen to look for food. Hopefully, there was something fresh to eat in there. She knocked on the frame of the entrance to the kitchen. "Hello," she said quietly. "Is there anyone here? Please, I mean you no harm. I lost my team and I lost my way home. I was wondering if you could help me."</p><p>No one answered. Maisie was all alone. Her eyes widened when she spotted a great treasure. There was a double-barrel shotgun on the table and a box of shells right beside it. The dinner the family left untouched since the day they were attacked lay festering all around it. Maisie scurried to the weapon, picked it up, and examined it. The wood was polished and the barrel was decorated with a plaque of scrollwork made of gold and silver on the sides. She opened the box to see how much ammo was inside and sighed in despair. There were only three. She checked to see if the shotgun was loaded. Yes. There were still two rounds inside. Odd. Whatever happened here must have been terrifying for the man to be so scared to forget his gun.</p><p>Maisie opened the fridge. There was nothing in there; it didn't even work. Instead of food, they used it to store papers and all sorts of brick-a-brack. Maisie desperately searched the cupboards. She found a jar of peanut butter still full. It wasn't much, but it had to do. She found a knife and used it to eat the peanut butter in large globs. She ate it noisily, not caring that she made a mess all over her fingers and mouth. Before she knew it, the jar was empty, and she was still hungry. There was nothing left to eat.</p><p>"Damn," she whispered.</p><p>Oh well. She proceeded upstairs and headed straight for the bathroom, darting for the tub. She turned the knob, expecting nothing to come out, but miraculously, water loudly poured from the faucet into the tub, making Maisie squeal with delight. She stripped out of her ruined garments and threw them in the trash bin, then relieved herself as the tub filled. She didn't care about the how and why or the logic behind it all. All that mattered was that this house had running water. She felt like a queen at the moment. When the tub was full, Maisie stepped inside and relaxed. All her cares, her worries...her fears, melted away. A wide grin formed on her face and she sighed.</p><p>"Bawth," she said, remembering her nanny's pronunciation of the word 'Bath'. "Bawth," she said again, cupping water with her hand and pouring it down her arm. "Bawth.".</p><p>Iris. Maisie wondered where she was. Was she even alive? Did the Saurian Flu get her? She rolled her eyes and dunked the back of her head in the water, then slid her fingers up her soaked hair to soften it and clean it from the mud that caked her scalp.</p><p>When she was done, she looked around the cabinets for medical supplies. Thankfully, there was one under the seat. It had everything she needed to sew up the gash in the back of her leg. Maisie sobbed and bit down on a wooden spoon as she prepared to sew her wound. It wasn't as bad as she thought, but the tip of the horn that gored her cut pretty deep. She began, she winced, feeling the needle poke her flesh. No. It was too much. She couldn't do it. She just treated it as best she could and hoped for the best, then dressed in her new clothes, which fit her well, save for the jeans. It was a struggle to get into them because they were skin-tight, which agitated her wound. Exhausted and hungry, she decided to rest in the room of the eldest daughter.</p><p>Her walls were covered with posters of rock bands and logos of her favorite shows. Led string lights hung from the window to her mirror, and there was a collection of carousel horses on the shelf. A black kitchen sink backpack hanging from the back of a chair caught Maisie's eye. Maisie grabbed it and checked all the pockets for anything useful. She found a black karambit knife and set it in the ground next to the shotgun she found in the kitchen. She checked the main pocket, digging through papers before she found an apple at the bottom wrapped in plastic. Maisie tore off the plastic wrap and bit into it savagely. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she savored the sweet flavor of the fruit. She removed all the junk from the backpack and went for the dresser drawer excavating extra clothes to take with her.</p><p>Just then, the sound of scampering on the first floor of the house ceased her movements. Something was walking around downstairs. Maisie picked up the shotgun and tip-toed into the hallway.</p><p>"Hello?" she called. "Is there anyone there."</p><p>
  <em>Bark! Bark!</em>
</p><p>A dog! There was a dog downstairs. Maisie still kept the shotgun up in case the animal was hostile.</p><p>"Are you there?" Maisie called.</p><p>The scampering got close, she saw the shadow of the dog dancing on the dusty wood floor. A full-grown German Shepherd came into view. It whined and tilted its head to the side while looking up at Maisie.</p><p>"Hello, there!" Maisie said, lowering the weapon. "Where did you come from?"</p><p>The dog whimpered again. Maisie could see three scars over the right eye. It seemed to have survived an encounter with a fierce predator.</p><p>"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." Maisie sat down and patted her lap. "Come on."</p><p>The dog climbed up the stairs, stopped, and sniffed her. Maisie reached out her hand and ruffled it behind the ears. It stopped whining and opened its mouth, letting out its tongue. The dog let out a series of happy panting.</p><p>"Do you live here? Were your owners the ones who stayed here? Where are they?"</p><p>The dog seemed to understand the question. It looked over its shoulder and whined sadly.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry." She scratched it behind the ears again. "I lost my friends, too." She saw a gold tag hanging from the leather collar around the dog's neck. Maisie held it up so she could read the name. "Cheyenne. That's a nice name. Do you want to come with me?"</p><p>Cheyenne tilted her head to the left and wagged her tail, panting with a grin as if responding. Maisie giggled and patted her neck. "Okay. Let's stick together. If we make it back to base, I'll be sure to feed you a nice steak dinner. Claire's going to love you."</p><p>Maisie stood up and walked back to her bedroom. Cheyenne followed immediately at her heels. Once Maisie saw the bed, she yawned and stretched. Cheyenne knew Maisie wanted to sleep and jumped onto the bed to join her. Maisie smiled and again scratched the dog behind the ears, and set the gun down beside the bed. She laid down on the soft, warm, pink covers, wincing from the pain on her sides. Cheyenne raised her head, whining in concern.</p><p>"It's nothing," Maisie said, raising a pacifying hand. "I'll be okay. Oof, you're not...ahhhh…" —she yawned— "you're not going to believe what I went through."</p><p>She saw the three claw marks scarring the area around her right eye. "It looks like you've been through a lot as well." She patted the spot beside her, beckoning Cheyenne to come towards her. The dog understood and crawled to Maisie's side. "Goodnight, Cheyenne. Pleasant dreams."</p><p>Maisie closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep but it didn't last long. Cheyenne's barking woke her up. Maisie's eyes darted around, the back of her leg stung her when she regained consciousness. She sat up, grimacing from the jolt of pain in her ribs. Cheyenne's barking grew louder.</p><p>"What is it?" Maisie crawled to the window.</p><p>Suddenly, Cheyenne reeled back and whimpered in fear. When Maisie looked out, she saw nothing but dense fog shrouding the homestead. Then, coming out like giant shadows, nine terrifying figures stalked out of the fog, their burning red eyes pierced the shadows. Maisie felt as if she was in a horrible nightmare. She heard their growling rumble the very walls of the house.</p><p>The megalosaurs. They found her. And this time there was no escape.</p>
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